Students and Educators Have Access to Industry-Leading Design Software and Resources

SAN RAFAEL, Calif., April 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- For the first time,
Autodesk (NASDAQ:
ADSK) is making
AutoCAD 2010 software, its flagship product for 2D and 3D design and documentation, available for free* to members of its global
Student Engineering and Design Community. The Student Community is an online resource that offers numerous benefits to students and educators, including free design software, self-paced training, innovative curricula, global social networking, job listings and more.

"We created the Student Community three years ago to help architecture, engineering and digital entertainment students gain the educational resources and technical expertise they need to be successful in their future careers," said Joe Astroth, Ph.D., Autodesk vice president of Learning and Education. "The demand for AutoCAD skills spans many industries. By expanding our offerings to include AutoCAD 2010, students now have easy access to software and resources to help them build those vital skills needed in today's competitive marketplace."

AutoCAD is one of the world's leading design and documentation platforms. Since Autodesk first launched AutoCAD in 1982, the software has regularly been updated with new functionality and features. The latest release, AutoCAD 2010, includes groundbreaking new capabilities introducing free-form design tools, parametric drawing, and enhanced PDF and 3D printing capabilities to help users tackle their most challenging design problems.

The addition of AutoCAD 2010 to the Student Community allows students to take full advantage of these new design tools, while adding to the portfolio of products they can use to develop skills in key industry concepts such as
Digital Prototyping,
building information modeling (BIM) and
sustainable design. With the addition of AutoCAD 2010, the Student Community now offers more than two dozen free software products. Since its launch in 2006, the Community has expanded to more than 570,000 members representing more than 19,000 schools in 139 countries.

Autodesk Education Initiatives

Autodesk supports students and educators by providing design software, innovative programs and other resources designed to inspire the next generation of professionals. By supporting educators to advance design education and science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills, Autodesk is helping prepare students for future academic and career success. Autodesk supports schools and institutions of higher learning worldwide through substantial discounts, subscriptions, grant programs, training, curricula development and community resources. For more information about Autodesk education programs and solutions, visit
autodesk.com/education.

About Autodesk

Autodesk, Inc., is a world leader in 2D and
3D design software for the manufacturing, building and construction, and media and entertainment markets. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk has developed the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art Digital Prototyping solutions to help customers experience their ideas before they are real. Fortune 1000 companies rely on Autodesk for the tools to visualize, simulate and analyze real-world performance early in the design process to save time and money, enhance quality and foster innovation. For additional information about Autodesk, visit
www.autodesk.com.

*Free products are subject to the terms and conditions of the end-user license agreement that accompanies download of the software.

Autodesk and AutoCAD are registered trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product offerings and specifications at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document.